Sterilized toilet seat



April zo, 194s.

L. H. DAVIDSON STERILIZED TOILET SEAT med Nov; 11, 1944 3 Sheets-#Sheet 1 ,s Mwl DW u a m vlllfllllu M l QN 111| wm. w I l Il 1 u bh. il 1 o o QN O n Q O// Z0 N IIL NM. NN. n M mm1 %N| u l IH. ..|d||.l. 'Ili IIN NN l 1 .M v l H| I Il N 1l All. o 1|- o u 4\ L O //l//IIIFWHIIATHIIHIMWHHK April 20, 1948. l.. DAVIDSON 2,440,232

Y i STERILIZED TOILET SEAT Filed Nov. 11, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. H. DAVIDSON STERILIKZED TOILET SEAT Ap 2o, 194s.

Filed Nov. ll, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 206222-107 l dHMvzdo/L Patented Apr. 20,- 1948 @U Nil-TED seat which' includes pressurefregiiiatirigtlye fo'rlimitng thepr'essufre of the `Waterttlfi'e Fig. 7 is a section taker; online 'i+1-miie; 3; The invention is exemplified as applied zio iiiet seat lz which has' aidividedfrdriii'rrijion arid is adapted to pass through` a: correspondingiy shaped ripening in the from; '1110i the ieri-riz'- 39. The pressure to which diaphragm 39 is responsive for closing valve-member 31 can be varied by the adjustment of plug 41 to vary the inward pressure exerted by the spring 39-a against the diaphragm 39. A locknut 48 holds plug 41 in its adjusted position. The pressure of spring 39--a may be adjusted, for example, to permit a pressure of 15 lbs. per square inch against the inner face of the diaphragm 39 to close valve 31 against seat 36 and cut oli the delivery of water to chamber 49 when the pressure of water exceeds 15 lbs. per square inch.

This regulation of the operation of valve-memT y ber 431 adapts the hydraulic device for use with supply lines in which the pressure uctuates or which operate under different pressures; lalso;to

control the flow of water to the cylinder 2|, ac cording to the speed with raise the toilet seat.

From chamber 49 in the pressure regulator the water flows through a duct 5|) in casing 20 to the upper end of the cylinder 2| via a slidable control valve 53, which is closed when the seat is lowered, for operating the piston 24 downwardly to raise the toilet seat. Valve 53 is adapted to close against a seat 54 which is formed Vin the duct 58 between chamber 49 and cylinder 2| whenl the seat I2 has been lowered to its usable 'position and to cut off the full supply of water to cylinder 2| This valve 53 is shitable by a lever 55 which is fulcrumed at 56 on the casing 20, has its upper end connected by a pin 51 to said valve and has its lower end extended for engagement by a cam 59 on arm I8 which is fixed to shaft I3, when th'e seat has been shifted to its lowered or usable position. Lever 55 is loaded by spring 58 to cause valve 53 to remain open, except wheny the seat is lowered and lever 55 is engaged by cam 59.

The seat I2 is manuallylowered from its sterilizing position by the user and during its lowering movement the seat, through shaft I 3 and arm I8 will raise the piston 24 in cylinder 2| and force water from cylinder 2| through a discharge valve in the upper portion of `the casing 2U. A handle 12 is provided on theseat which may engagethe front of the cabinet to limit the upward pivotal the casing 28. Member 60 is loaded by a spring which it is desired`to ,I

6I to close against a seat 62 which is communifl catively connected byY a ductV 63 with the upper end of cylinder 2|, The pressure to which' the discharge valve is responsive can be varied by adjustment of screw-plug 18 which engages spring 6 I. which is extended at duct 66 to the lower portion of casing 28. A flexible drain pipe 61 is connected to the lower end of duct 66 Vfor conducting water, and is connected to conduct water, into the toilet in any suitable manner. Spring 6I has a pressure slightly in excess of the maximum pressure of the water in cylinder 2 I, as controlled by the pressure regulator, so th'at;the discharge valve will remain closed until the pressure of the water in said cylinder is raised by the lifting of piston 24 .in the cylinder by the arm I8, as the seat I2 is manually lowered. As a result of the manual lowering of the toilet seat I2, the piston 24 causes the water to be discharged from cylinder 2| through ducts 65 and 66 to drain pipe 61. Adrain-port 1| is provided in the casing 20 betweenthe lower end of cylinder 24 and drain duct 66 so `that any leakage of water past th'e piston 24 will flow to the drain connection.

.will hold piston raised in cylinder 2|.

The control valve 53 which is held closed by cam 59 on arm 24 when the seat is in its usable position, is provided with a leak-port 68 for slowly delivering water from the chamber 49 to cylinder 2| to automatically initiate the lifting of the seat, for preventing the toilet seat from being left in its lowered position by the user in lieu of being' lifted to its sterilizing position between uses. The port 68 permits leakage of water to cylinder 2| while the valve-member 53 is closed. After cam 59 is disengaged from lever 55 during th'e slow upward movement of piston 24, resulting from the leakage of water through groove 64 into the cylinder 2|, spring 58 will shift valve-member 53 to its Vopen, position to permit the full ow of water from chamber 49 through duct 58 to the upper end of the cylinder for shifting the piston 24to complete the upward movement of th'e toiletseat into the sterilizer cabinet.

The operation will be as follows: When the seat I2 has been raised, water from inlet pipe 30 will flow under line-pressure through ducts 30 and 3| into the chamber around valve-member 31; valvemember 31 will be open and water will ilow into chamber 49 and through duct 50 into the upper end of cylinder 2|. The control valve member 53 will then be open. lTh'e water under pressure will hold piston 24 in its lowered position and hold the toilet seat raised and in the cabinet. The discharge valve member 68, being loaded by spring 6| so as to be responsive to a higher pressure in the cylinder, will remain closed. The pressure regulator will limit the pressure of water in the cylinder 2| so that it will not be suiiicient to open the discharge valve. If th'e pressure in the supply line increases beyond a predetermined point, for example 15 lbs. per square inch, the pressure regulator will close inlet valve member 31 and prevent higher pressure in cylinder 2|. VDuring the discharge of water from cylinder 2|, the pressure in the cylinder will be increased so as to operate the diaphragm 39 to seat valve -member 31 and cut oil flow of water from the inlet duct 3| to the regulator.

When the toilet seat is to be used, it will be lowered manually and, through arm26 and piston-stem 25, will raise the piston '24 in cylinder 2| and subject the water in the cylinder to a sufficiently increased pressure to open valve-member 68 to discharge the water from the cylinder above the piston through ducts 68, 65 and' 66 to the drain-pipe 61. As the toilet-seat reaches its usable position, cam 59 will engage the end of lever 55 and shift it against the force of spring 58 to close valve-member 53 against seat ,54 and cut 01T the main iiow of water to th'e cylinder 2|.

While toilet seat I2 is lowered and valve 31 is closed, as the resultk of yan increase in pressure in cylinder 2| caused by the lowering of the toilet seat, water from chamber 49 can leak through duct 58 and port 64 into the upper end of cylinder 2|. During joccupation of seat I2, arm I8 When the weight of the user is removed from thetoilet seat or if said seat is not used after `,being lowered, water will slowly escape from chamber 49 -th'rough leak-port 64 and'duct 58 into the upper end of cylinder 2| and slowly move piston 24 to impart a slow initial upward movement to the toilet seat. When the cam 59 rotates away from lever 55, spring 58 will shift lever 55 to move valve 53 away from its seatv 54 and permit a full flow of water from chamber 49 to cylinder 2 I, which 'will cause a reduction of pressure against diaphragm 39 and permit spring 39a to shift the diaphragm to 'nval of the weight of` a user from the seat in g its usablev position for automatically and successively controlling the flow 1 of water 'under'- pressure at dilerent speeds offflo'w for raising the seat to its sterilizing position at successively different rates of speed. 1 i

7. The combination with a toilet comprising: a bowl, a seat sterilizing cabinet and a seat manually movable from a sterilizing positionl in the cabinetv to a lowered usable position over the-bowl, of a hydraulic device for shifting the seat including, a cylinder and a piston slidable therein, a positive operating lconnection between the piston and the seat for/shifting the piston inthe cylinder by manual lowering'of theseat and for raising the seat by hydraulic operation of the piston, a self-closing valve for discharging water from the cylinder whenA the piston is shifted by the seat, and valve-means controlled -by the absence or removalr of the weight'of a user from the seat in its usable position for automatically'and successively controlling the flow of water under pressure at different rates'of'ilow to the cylinder for raising the seat successively at different rates of speed toits sterilizing position.

8. The combination with a toilet comprising: a bowl, a` seat sterilizing cabinet, a seat pivotally movable from a sterilizing position in the cabinet to a. lowered usable position over the bowl, and

a shaft rigid with said seat, of a hydraulic device for shifting the seat including, a cylinder and a piston slidable therein, 4an arm on the shaft and a stem for the piston pivotally connected to said arm, forming an operating connection between the piston and the seat for shifting the piston in the cylinder by manual lowering of the seat and for raising the seat by hydraulic operation of the piston, a self-closing valve for discharging water from the cylinder when the piston is shifted by the seat, fa valve for successively controlling the delivery of water at different lrates of flow under pressure to the cylinder to successively raise the .-seat atdifferentspeedsto lits sterilizing position, and means rotatable with said shaft controlled by athe absence or removal ofthe weight of a user from the seat in its usable position for controlling ,said valve-means. l

9. The combina-tionwith a toilet comprising: a Iabowl, a seat sterilizingcabinet, a seat pivotally :movable froma vsterilizing position in the cabinet ito a lowered usable positionover the bowl, and a :shaft rigid with saidseat, of a hydraulic device ,for shifting the seat lncluding,`a cylinder and a piston slidable therein, an arm on the shaft and a stem for the piston pivotally connected to said arm,y forming anoperating connection between the piston and the seat for shifting the piston in the cylinder by manual lowering of the seat and for raising the seat lby hydraulic operation of the piston, a self-closing valve for discharging water from the cylinder when the piston is shifted by the seat, a valve for successively controlling the delivery of water at different rates of flow under pressure to the cylinder to successively raise the seat at different speeds to its sterilizing position, and means on the arm controlled by the absence or removal of the weight of a.v user from the seat in its Vusable position for automatically controlling said last-named valve. I

10. The combination with a toilet comprising: a bowl, a seat sterilizing cabinet and a seat manually movable from a sterilizing position in the cabinet to a lowered usable position over the bowl, of a hydraulic device for shifting the seat including, a, cylinder anda piston slidable therein, a positive operating connection between the piston and the seat for shifting the piston in the cylinder by manual lowering of the seat and for raising the seat by hydraulic operation of the piston, a

REFERENCES' CTED The following references'are of record in the vfile of this patent:

UNITED .STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,531,626 Rowntree Mar. 31, 1925 1,630,932 Friedrich May 31, 1927 1,744,069 lDapron Jan'. 21, 1930 v 1,865,913 Hynes July 5, 1932 2,214,323 Carter Sept. 10, 1940 2,253,736 Sullivan Aug. 26, 1941 2,281,265 Campbell Apr. 28, 1942 2,329,240 Bendon et al. Sept. 14, 1943 

